Local composer Dan Fox will hold auditions Wednesday and Thursday to form a Tarpon Springs community band. The Florida Nighthawks, a professional band, will play jazz and dance music from the 1920s, including songs once made famous by musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. The band is seeking reed, brass and rhythm players, as well as violinists and singers. Musicians audition at 7 p.m. Wednesday and singers audition at 7 p.m. Thursday, both at the Heritage Museum, 100 Beekman Lane. For more information, call (727) 937-0686.

clearwater

Pitch in to help clean up the coast

Register now to participate in a coastal cleanup hosted by the city of Clearwater and Keep Pinellas Beautiful. The program will take place from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 15 at the Courtney Campbell Causeway beach. Participants will remove trash and debris and are asked to wear closed-toe shoes, dress for the outdoors, wear sunscreen, and bring a pair of work or gardening gloves. Supervision, water and all tools and supplies will be provided. All ages are welcome. Students who participate are eligible to receive school service hours. The entrance to the beach is across the street from 3350 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd., Clearwater. You can also enter the beach at Damascus Road. Visit www.myclearwater.com/parksvolunteer. For more information, call (727) 562-4803 or e-mail [email protected]

First hearing set on 2013 budget

The Clearwater City Council will hold its first public hearing on next year's budget on Tuesday evening. The hearing begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Clearwater's property tax rate will likely stay the same for the fourth year in a row. Officials have suggested no change to the tax rate of 5.15 mills, or $5.15 for every $1,000 of taxable property. Property values in Clearwater dropped $110 million in the past year, but officials say they've balanced the budget with job cuts and city reserves. The city will host a second public hearing on Sept. 20.

Draw out the artist within

The Largo Community Center, 400 Alt. Keene Road, is starting "Art in All Forms." The series begins this month and covers a wide range of disciplines. Learn to paint with acrylics, create and decorate in ceramics, understand the techniques of cartooning and drawing, work with watercolors, form clay into pottery and sculpture; string beads, pins, stones and charms into jewelry. For information, visit largocommunitycenter.com or call (727) 518-3131.

On a trip to Disney over the weekend, as the traffic slowly lurched toward Lake Buena Vista, I couldn’t help but wonder about the impact a high-speed rail line may have had on the jam.
Gov. Rick Scott killed the proposed train as one of his fi...

TAMPA — Hillsborough County deputies are searching for a Tampa woman who has gone missing after walking out of a hospital emergency room.Brenda Jatta, 54, walked out of the emergency room at Florida Hospital, 3100 E Fletcher Ave., on Saturday between...

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Thanks to last night's 75-70 win over No. 1 seed Xavier, Florida State is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011. That sets up Thursday's matchup against fourth-seeded Gonzaga in Los Angeles.Here's a quick breakdown of how the ninth-seeded Sem...

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Those who plead guilty to crimes often do so hoping to receive a reduced sentence.
The transaction makes sense. The defendant is spared what could be a much harsher punishment. The state is spared from the expense and difficulty of putting on a case...

RIVERVIEW — A woman and young girl were fatally shot, and a young boy was critically wounded in an apparent domestic dispute early Monday morning.Deputies are questioning a man who was found running through the house toward the garage. Deputies say t...

TAMPA — Be visible, Chief Chris Daniel urges his officers in the University of South Florida Police Department. Your cruiser, your bike, is your office. The students need to know you’re there.It also doesn’t hurt to get officers out of the department...